Accurate 45-248H

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  • Last Post 26 June 2016
Eutectic posted this 17 June 2016

Ed Harris's update of the old Modern Bond design for 45 worked so well I wanted more. Really more weight, Ed's 45-198T gave excellent accuracy at target velocity, but I favor heavier bullets and faster speeds for the 45 revolver. With none of the limitations of the automatic there is no reason a modern 45 ACP revolver cannot push a 250 grain bullet over 1000 fps. See my article in The Fouling Shot 151 for pressure tested loads. I have been using the LEE 45 250 FP which gives a seating depth of 0.345 when crimped in the top lube groove. I used the nose profile from Accurate 45-245D, lengthened the front band to get more bearing length and kept the short body aft of the crimp groove. The result is Accurate 45-248H with a seating depth of 0.235. It might seem 0.1 decrease in seating depth is insignificant, but it significantly increases the loading volume in the small 45 ACP case Tom at Accurate makes great molds. The 4 cavity mold I ordered looks great and casts better. If there is cavity variation I could not find it. I specified 0.452 with 2/6 alloy, they cast 0.4525 ”€œ 0.4530 you can't get better than that. The weight is 247 grains, spot on and close enough to 250 to make no difference. Initial low velocity tests were promising. WW +2% tin bullets at 800 fps shoot under 2” at 25 yards, I cast a batch using 2/6 alloy. Working up to the 19,000 psi starting load level with VV340, 8.0 gr gave 1115fps. Good to go, I loaded a bunch and headed to the range. Accuracy was so-so 4.3” at 25 yards. There was light leading, contributing to poor accuracy. I have used polyethylene buffer to beat the gas cutting/leading problem. However recent posts using polyethylene foam caulking backer/ weather stripping caught my eye and I had loaded some with foam plugs over the powder. I am glad I did because groups were instantly cut in half, 2.2” that's better! Thanks Gary for the weather-strip idea. Ok, I really should have pressure tested the foam plug loads. However the initial load was low pressure and the foam plugs are very light, 1 gr compared to 3-4 gr for poly powder filler. The velocity increase was small, 30 fps average, but the accuracy increase was significant. I might be able to get a little more velocity, push pressure to the +P level, maybe slower, denser powder. But 1145 fps with a nice blunt 250 grain bullet, is not bad. This load is easy to shoot and easy on the gun. It is time to go hunting. Steve  These are experimental loads, outside normal reloading data. Users accept all risks.

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Ed Harris posted this 17 June 2016

Good looking bullet! I've loaded some of the samples you sent me in. 45 Colt brass with 7.2 grains of Bullseye to try in the .45 Colt barrel I got back from John Taylor for the small frame H&R Bunny Gun built irn the .44/.410 frame.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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358156hp posted this 18 June 2016

Steve, have you used it in 1911s yet? It seems to beg for a large hollowpoint, something to get the weight in the 240 or so range, and cast soft (of course).

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Eutectic posted this 18 June 2016

Here is the mold, it was lovely before I cast several hundred bullets. I wish I had a picture of it before I used it, Tom does great work.

It was not designed for the 1911, but I tried it. It must be seated deeper than the crimp groove. Just by chance the seating depth to chamber in my 1911 also allows it to fit in the magazine. I tried feeding and it feeds OK by hand. No firing tests, but now those are on the docket.

Hmmm Yes, a hollow point would bring the weight down to ~ 230 where there is plenty of reloading data. I would try hollow-pointing on the drill press first, to decide on HP size. Then a modified mold if I decided I was going to need a lot of them.

That said, I do not think a hollow point will be needed with the large meplat and blunt profile.

Steve

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Eutectic posted this 26 June 2016

I tested 45-248H in a semi-auto and results were disappointing. I used my Sig 220 which feeds anything. There were no failures to feed, but there was hesitation in the feed cycle. Ejecting rounds showed why.

The bullet nose was sometimes marked by the front of the magazine. The bullet nose always had a heavy imprint from the top of the chamber. The cases were dented on both sides by the chamber mouth.

It looks like the feed angle is too steep, caused by the large diameter of the bullet so far forward.

Probably best stick to revolvers or rifles.

Steve

 

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